Recommendations for Japanese in NY

[Marchez]

Hi,

Visiting from Australia this December and trying to decide on a Japanese option for dinner during our stay.

From reading the boards here it seems that Omakase is the most served style at the better places.
I would be keen to try this style as I have never had it before.

Currently I have a reservation at Soto. After reading their menu and various posts about peoples experiences there it seems a lot of uni was/is used.
To be honest I have only really tried uni once and it wasn't served in the most appetising way, hence I am slightly hesitant about the amount of uni served in the Omakase at Soto.

Masa is defnitely out of my price range everytihng else is do-able.
15 East sounds pretty good,
Brushstroke also sounds like a really nice experience.

As long as its a good mix of hot and cold dishes, the flavours are right and its served in a ince setting I will be happy.

Which one should I go with??

Any advice will be really appreciated!!

[pauliface]

Check out Sugiyama.
They do Kaiseki, which you may enjoy.
Basically, a multi-course meal, with different courses in different styles, and you do not need to make any decisions. And it's great.

[Marchez]

Thanks for the interest all.

Still unsure as to what to pick but at least I have a better idea now.

I'm still leaning towards Soto, 15 East or Brushstroke and I will order al la carte to fit my tastes.

[foodwhisperer]

From your description of what you want,I would recommend Brushstroke ( not Ichimura sushi part),
Soto but don't get omakase, pick and choose your dishes a la cart focusing on his "special" dishes,
Yuba, 15 East at a table ( if you have only tried uni once, I think the traditional sushi at 15 East you might also encounter some fish you won't like) at a table you can get a variety of cooked and uncooked, Kyo Ya you can get fantastic cooked and try the pressed " Osaka style" sushi. Lastly Morimoto has a good mix of cooked and uncooked and a lively atmosphere. Kanoyama's omakase will mix a lot of cooked dishes with sushi items. The back "omakase room" is much quieter than the front and they also have a tremendous oyster selection.
If you end up at 15 East or Soto I would certainly give uni another try. In your previous experience you could have gotten "bad" uni. These places use high quality fresh uni, and you might like it.

[Silverjay]

"Omakase" here is mostly used as another way of saying "pre-fixe", although a few places will customize on the fly based on your personal interests... You should probably decide between whether you want sushi or kaiseki or kaisek-esque as the good places breakdown along those lines...Soto is an uni specialist.